Time stock-feeder.



N0 MODEL.

, PATENTED 001". 13, 1903.

G. A. 0R0TT0.

TIME STOCK FEEDER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8, 1903.

."HUMlllll llllllllllllmllllm lllllfwlmllllllllfllillllllll Urtrrnn terns Patented October 13, 1903.

Patent @i rrca TIME STOCK-FEEDER.

isPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Eatent No. 741,310, dated. October 13, 1903.

Application filed June 3, 1903.

To all whom it nutty concern.-

Be it known that I, GILBERT A..CROTTO, a citizen of the United States, residing at Reading, in the county of Berks and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Animal-Feeding Devices, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to animal-feeders; and it consists of means for feeding any desired number of animals at any given time, as will be hereinafter described, the novel features of the same being pointed out in the claims.

- Wall or the like.

filled to indicated points.

Figure 1 represents an elevation, partly broken, of a feeding device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of a portion thereof. Fig. 3 represents a side elevation similar to Fig. 2, certain parts thereof being, however, in different positions.

Similarcharacters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the figures.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a clock of any desired pattern, having projecting therefrom a segmental disk 2 rotatable e. g., in twelve hours-it being noticed that a portion of the periphery of said disk is cut away as the chord ofan are forming a straight or flat face on said periphery. Back of said disk is the foot 3 of a lever 4t, pivoted at 5 to a lug or bracket 6, which, like the clock itself, may conveniently be attached to a stable- At the other end of the lever 4 is an eye 7, from which leads a wire or cord 8 to an actuating device, (shown as a weight 9,) tending to draw the lever A in the direction of the arrows.

Attached to the stable-wall above each of any number of feed-boxes (not shown) is a hopper 10, having a chute 11 leading to the feed-box. In the front wall of the hopper I preferably insert a window or sheet 12, of glass or othertransparent substance,adjacent to which may be placed marks or grad uations showing the capacity of the hopper when The bottom of the hopper is a drop device, (shown as a pair of trap-doors 13,) hinged at 14 and movably connected by links 15 toasupportingrod 16. The upper end of the latter is attached to an arm of a bell-crank lever l7,the other arm of which is connected to the cord 8.

The operation is as follows: The hoppers are suitably supplied with food for the ani- Serial-No.159,893. mamas.)

mals, and the foot 3 of the lever at is behind the disk 2, as shown in Fig. 3, whereby motion of said foot, and consequently oi. the lever4, is prevented, the weight 9 thus remaining inoperative. As the clock has been previously adjusted, when the desired hour of feeding arrives the straight or flat surface of the disk will have been brought around to register with the foot 3, and thus the latter is no longer controlled, and it is permitted to ride over said face, the weight 9 having become operative and now being permitted to move the lever 4 in the direction of the arrows. The levers 17 are also operated in the direction of said arrows, whereby the rods 16 are lowered and the trap-doors 13 are opened downwardly, and thus the food passes through the chutes to the feed-boxes orstalls. After this the parts may be restored toitheir normal position, the disks 2 being again rotated to come in front of the foot 3 and again control the same until the flat or straight face thereof can register with said foot, when the latter no longer controls the Weight 9, and the operations hereinbefore stated are repeated. Owing to the windows 12 food in the hopper may be seen and so determined that the proper quantity of the same is supplied.

It will be evident that various changes may be made by those skilled in the art which will come within the scope of my invention, and I do not, therefore, desire to be limited in every instance to the exact construction herein shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An animal-feeding device comprising a hopper, means for emptying said hopper connected with a pivotal lever and clock-actuated means for tripping said lever, said means comprising a piece rotatable by the clock, the circumference of said piece being cut away, the cut-away portion, when registering with the foot of said lever, releasing the latter, said foot being primarily behind said piece.

2. An animalfeeding device comprising a hopper, a trap-door operative to empty said hopper, a lever operatively connected with said door and clock-actuated means for tripping said lever, said means comprising a piece rotatable by the clock, the circumference of said piece being cut away, the cut-away portion, when registering with the foot of said 5 lever, releasing the latter, said foot being primarily behind said piece. I

3. An animal feeding device comprising a hopper, means for emptying said hopper, a lever, a cord or wire connecting said emptyto ing means and said lever, means connected with said cord to actuate said lever and said emptying means and clock-actuated means for tripping said lever, said means comprisin g a piece rotatable by the clock, the circum-.

I5 ference of said piece being cut away, the cutaway portion, when registering with the foot of said lever, releasing the latter, said foot being primarily behind said piece.

4. An animal-feeding device comprising a hopper, a trap-door in said hopper, a weight, a lever, a cord connecting said weight and said lever and operative to open said door and clock-actuated means for tripping said lever, said means comprising a piece rotatable by the clock, the circumference of said piece being cut away, the cut-away portion, when registering with the foot of said lever, releasing the latter, said foot being primarily behind said piece.

5. An animal-feeding-device comprising a hopper, a trap-door in said hopper, a weight, a lever, a cord connecting said weight and -said lever, a bell-crank lever connected with said door and said cord and clock-actuated means for tripping said lever, said means comprising a piece rotatable by the clock, the circumference of said piece being cut away, the cut-away portion, when registering with the foot of said lever, releasing the latter, said foot being primarily behind said piece.

6. An animal-feeding device comprising a plurality of hoppers each having a trap-door, a lever operatively connected with each of said doors and clock-actuated means for tripping said lever, said means comprising a piece rotatable by the clock, the circumference of said piece being cut away, the cut-away portion, when registering with the foot of said lever, releasing the latter, said foot being primarily behind said piece.

7. An animal-feeding device comprising a plurality of hoppers each having a trap-door, a cord or wire passing above said hoppers, a weight at one end of said cord, a lever at the other end of said cord, rods connecting said trap-doors and said firstnamed cord and clock-actuated means for tripping said lever, said means comprising a piece rotatable by the clock, the circumference of said piece being cut away, the cut-away portion, when registering with the foot of said lever, releasing the latter, said foot being primarily behind said piece.

8. In an animal-feeding device, a clock, a piece thereon rotatable by the same, a lever, ahopper, adoor in said hopper anda weighted connection for said lever and door, said piece being primarily in front of the foot of said lever and having a cut-away surface with which said foot may register, thus releasing said lever, causing the weighted'connection to open said door.

GILBERT A. GROTTO.

Witnesses:

JOHN A. WIEDERSHEIM, GEo. L. COOPER. 

